Texas Autumn Championship

US Chess Membership: An Active US Chess Membership is required unless you are a Titled player with a FIDE ID #.

Supplies: Boards, clocks, pieces, notation sheets, and pencils all provided.

Tournament Registration: Initial Registration must be done on our website. The registration deadline for the tournament is 30 minutes before the scheduled start time. Players who register after this cutoff may receive a bye for the first round. If a player is familiar with the rules and possess an active US Chess ID, you're eligible to participate. Players of all ages and skill levels are welcome. Players obtain a chess rating through the United States Chess Federation (USCF) by participating in rated tournaments. The US Chess ID is unique to each player, facilitating tracking of progress, tournament history, and rating adjustments. NM+ (National Master and above) play for free in our non-FIDE tournaments.

Tournament Refund Policy: For FIDE-rated and championship tournaments, participants are eligible for a full refund if they cancel more than 48 hours before the tournament begins. If cancellation occurs between 48 hours and 2 hours before the start time, a 50% refund will be issued. No refunds are provided for cancellations made within 2 hours of the tournament start time or for no-shows. For scholastic, blitz, and weekly Swiss tournaments, a full refund is available if cancellation is made at least 2 hours before the start time. No refunds are issued for cancellations within 2 hours of the start time or for no-shows. To cancel your registration, please contact us before the applicable deadline. Refunds are typically processed within five business days.

Commitments and Missed Rounds: Inform us as soon as possible if you cannot play a round. Half-point byes are available if requested before the start of the preceding round. If not requested in time, the bye will be worth zero points. 

Playing Up: You may request to compete in a higher section for an additional fee if you meet the criteria below.

A): Your monthly USCF rating is within 150 points of the section’s cutoff. Example: If the cutoff is 1600, a monthly rating of 1450 qualifies (150 points below 1600), but 1449 does not.
B): Live Rating Fee Waiver: If your live rating is above the cutoff (even on the event day), the playing-up fee is waived or refunded.
C): Provisional Players (<25 games): If your monthly rating is below the 150-point range, but your live rating is above it, we average the two ratings. If this average is still below the cutoff, you cannot play up.
D): FIDE Rating Conversion: Players can play up to the next section if their US Chess Rating is within 150 points of the next section. Players may also use their FIDE rating after converting it into a USCF using the following formula. US Chess rating = -1073 + 1.5667*FIDE if FIDE <= 2000 OR (20 + 1.02 × FIDE if FIDE > 2000)

Section Placement: You are automatically placed in a section based on the monthly rating supplement in effect on the day of the tournament. Unrated Players are placed in the lowest section unless you provide evidence of a convertible rating (e.g., FIDE or recognized online). The Tournament Director (TD) has final discretion.

Prize Claims: Players have up to six months from the tournament date to claim their prize winnings before they expire.

Titled Players: NM+ play free! Email info@texaschesscenter.com to register as a master (US Chess 2200+).